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India is taking on Chippagedon (the global chip shortage crisis) and is striving to bring semiconductor and display fab manufacturing to the country. Other PLI schemes look to accelerate domestic manufacturing of telecom and networking products. The supply chain and the logistics sector will play a vital role in meeting raw material demands for Indian manufacturers. All this will go a long way in making us self-reliant in a big way.
‘Make in India’ is an initiative by the Government of India, launched in September 2014, to make and encourage companies to develop, manufacture and assemble products made in India and incentivize dedicated investments into manufacturing.
Promises of BRICS Nations (Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa) had more or less subsided. India was tagged as one of the so-called ‘Fragile Five’. Global investors debated whether the world’s largest democracy was a risk or an opportunity.
Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) initiated the Make in India process with the participation of Union Ministers, Secretaries to Government of India, State Governments, industry leaders, and various knowledge partners.
Various sectors have since been opened up for FDI, such as defense manufacturing, railways, space, single-brand retail, etc. Regulatory policies were relaxed to facilitate more investments for ease of doing business. Across various regions of the country, six industrial corridors are being developed. Industrial cities will also come up along these corridors.
Make in India is perhaps, opening the investment doors for India. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced a `20 lakh crore economic package under the Atmanirbhar Bharat Abhiyaan, to aid the country out of the Coronavirus crisis, by making India self-reliant.
Today, many sectors have joined the program. These include automobile and components, aviation, biotechnology, chemicals, construction, electrical machinery, electronics systems, food processing, IT and BPM, leather, media and entertainment, mining, oil and gas, pharmaceuticals, ports, shipping, railways, renewable energy, roads and highways, space, textiles, thermal power, tourism, etc.
Who can help with investing in India? Invest India is said to be the first port of call for all potential investors. It is the official investment promotion and facilitation agency of the Government of India, mandated to facilitate investments in India. Among the selected 190 countries, India ranked 63rd in Doing Business 2020: World Bank Report.
In the production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme, incentives are offered to manufacturers of Indian products when incremental sales are made. Six new schemes were approved after ten were notified by the government in November last year and the first three were approved in March.
The scheme shall extend an incentive of 4% to 6% on incremental sales (over base year) of goods manufactured in India and covered under target segments, to eligible companies, for a period of five years subsequent to the base year as defined.
PLI schemes were announced for the following:
- Prescription medications: Department of Pharmaceuticals
- Technology or electronic products: Ministry of Information & Electronics Technology
- Networking and telecom products: Department of Telecommunications
- Food products: Ministry of Food Processing Industries
- ACS and LED (white goods): Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade
- Energy-efficient solar PV modules: Ministry of New and Renewable Energy
- Auto components and automobiles: Department of Heavy Industry
- ACC (advance chemistry cell) battery: Department of Heavy Industry
- Specialty steel: Ministry of Steel
- MMF segment and technical textiles: Textile Products: Ministry of Textiles
- Drug Intermediates (DIs)/key starting materials (KSM) and active pharmaceutical ingredients (APIs): Department of Pharmaceuticals
- Electronics manufacturing on a large scale: Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology
- Medicinal devices manufacturing: Department of Pharmaceuticals
Progress of the PLI schemes
Elaborating on the progress of the PLI scheme and challenges ahead, Aravind Melligeri, Chairman and CEO, Aequs, said India is likely to see an approximate revenue addition of Rs 30-35 lakh crore over the next 3-4 years of PLI schemes announced for various sectors. The scheme is expected to encourage foreign investment in the country and boost production.
While India has a lot of potentials to become a leading manufacturer in several sectors, a lot more needs to be done, particularly where PLI is considered. The scheme needs to be extended to sectors like toy manufacturing, which have the potential to create disproportionately large employment, particularly, at the bottom of the pyramid, where the jobs are needed.
While this has been on the agenda for some time, a decision is still awaited from the government on extending PLI to the sector. Apart from this, more investments are required to address aspects like research, development, capacity building, and producing high-end machine tools domestically.
Dr. Venkat Mattela, Founder and CEO of Ceremorphic, noted that with the global chip shortage and geopolitical difficulties in Taiwan, India is the youngest kid on the block to have jumped into the semiconductor manufacturing business. With `the 76,000-crore incentive package, India has taken a giant step toward bringing semiconductor and display fab manufacturing to the country. Alongside the goals of creating 100 million manufacturing jobs by 2022, boosting the sector’s contribution to GDP to 25% by 2025, and ensuring an annual growth rate of 12-14%, the ‘Make-in-India’ scheme by the government as an endeavor is well-thought-out and a move in the right direction.
India is likely to see an approximate revenue addition of Rs 30-35 lakh crore over the next 3-4 years of PLI schemes announced for various sectors. The scheme is expected to encourage foreign investment in the country and boost production.
— Aravind Melligeri, Chairman and CEO, Aequs
With over half of the labor force still reliant on agriculture, manufacturing growth is the only way to offer large-scale, respectable job prospects for a young labor force entering the market. There is no doubt about the fact that the government is committed to steadfast this growth and getting India onto the world map of semiconductors.
Amit Marwah, Head of Marketing and Corporate Affairs, Nokia India, said: “As we understand it, the key objective of the ‘Make in India’ initiative, announced in September 2014, is to encourage domestic manufacturing in the country and establish India as the global manufacturing hub. The Government has taken several measures to facilitate this – through infrastructure build-up, business-friendly policies, economic packages, and reforms among others. The Union budget of 2022-23 has further promoted domestic manufacturing.”
As one of the first global telecom companies to start manufacturing in India, Nokia is part of this scheme and is able to contribute to the vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat. Nokia is fully aligned with the ‘Make in India’ mission and has invested over `4,200 crores in driving value creation. The Chennai factory, established in 2008, was one of the first manufacturing units set up by a global technology leader in the country. Over the years, it has manufactured products for several generations of technologies including 2G, 3G, 4G, and now 5G.
How can the PLI scheme improve India’s manufacturing capacity? He noted that the PLI scheme incentivizes incremental investments by the local and global manufacturers to further boost local manufacturing. The scheme covers telecom, and 12 other sectors and promises to transform the manufacturing sector and play a crucial role in scaling up India’smanufacturing exports.
In the telecom sector alone, with a total outlay of `12,195 crores over five years, 31 companies, including Nokia, are approved under the PLI scheme to accelerate the domestic manufacturing of telecom and networking products. Eligible telecom products under the scheme include transmission equipment, 4G/5G, next-gen and wireless equipment access, customer premises equipment, Internet of Things (IoT) access devices, and other equipment like switches and routers.
Rajnish Gupta, VP & Head for India and Sub-Continent business, Zebra Technologies Asia Pacific, felt that with several schemes like opening FDI to various sectors, including railways, insurance, defense, and medical devices, the government is taking bold steps to transform India into a global manufacturing hub. Also, with the aim of creating five industrial corridors that will spread across the length and breadth of the country, the government plans to boost the supply-chain ecosystem for various industries.
The PLI scheme has really scaled up the investment ambitions across industries to manufacture in the country. To this effect, the telecom equipment makers have already manufactured products worth `6,200 crores with an investment of close to `247 crore since the launch PLI scheme.
India is the youngest kid on the block to have jumped into the semiconductor manufacturing business. With `the 76,000-crore incentive package, India has taken a giant step toward bringing semiconductor and display fab manufacturing to the country.
— Dr. Venkat Mattela, Founder and CEO, Ceremorphic
However, to successfully pursue the Make in India vision, the supply chain and logistics sector will play a vital role in meeting raw material demands for the Indian manufacturers. The covid-19 pandemic has exposed the fragility of the traditional lifecycle of a supply chain, followed by sporadic lockdowns and labor shortages.
There is an increased need for real-time visibility, and the ability to track and trace assets, and inventory in the supply chain to enable business decisions to be made swiftly and decisively. Organizations need to deploy the right technological solutions to gain valuable business insights and intelligence, lower costs, improve productivity, reduce waste, and improve customer experience.
Hemant Mallapur, Co-Founder and EVP of Engineering, Saankhya Labs, added that it is heartening to see the Indian government so intent on making this a success. Schemes for PLI and DLI are the first steps for manufacturing and design, respectively. State governments are, for the first time, vying with each other to get semiconductor wafer fabs to be set up in their regions with incentive packages and infrastructure support. All of these have received global and domestic attention.
Wafer manufacturing being a big business has seen keen interest from big industry houses. Saankhya Labs reported hearing at least three serious proposals. There are reports that OSAT, i.e., chip packaging and test factories is being planned, a sub-sector with lower investments, that presents excellent opportunities. Fabless design and electronics product OEMs are the other parts of the ecosystem that are seeing heightened interest from entrepreneurs.
Naturally, with companies starting to show performances, some results are definitely heartening. Aravind Melligeri, Aequs, said their manufacturing ecosystems in the hinterland of India have created employment opportunities for thousands of people and improved infrastructure and communities in North Karnataka.
Make in India is the mantra Aequs has followed for well over a decade since it started the Belagavi Aerospace Cluster, and India’s first notified precision engineering SEZ. Via the ecosystem, Aequs has put India on the global aerospace map by contract manufacturing sophisticated components for global OEMs, like Airbus and Boeing.
Continuing with its pioneering ecosystems model, Aequs has now expanded operations to Koppal and Hubballi to set up the Koppal Toy Cluster and the Hubballi Consumer Durable Goods Cluster, respectively.
Encompassing the entire manufacturing value chain, these ecosystems or clusters, facilitate high volume production at competitive prices with extreme ease of doing business for manufacturers who decide to set up their units in them.
Talking about the success of PLI schemes, Marwah at Nokia said that telecom equipment makers have produced more than `6,200 crores worth of products with an investment of around `247 crore since the launch of the PLI scheme. Nokia is among the major stakeholders of the scheme and has already achieved its year 1 targets. Currently, products manufactured at the Chennai factory include 4G/LTE radio, 5G NR (new radio), and 5G massive MiMo products, half of which are exported to global markets. It is now aiming to expand the manufacturing lineup by adding new products in IP optics and fixed networks to further leverage the benefits of the PLI scheme.
As we understand it, the key objective of the ‘Make in India’ initiative, announced in September 2014, is to encourage domestic manufacturing in the country and establish India as the global manufacturing hub.
— Amit Marwah, Head of Marketing and Corporate Affairs, Nokia India
Marwah added that while the PLI scheme offers a huge opportunity to establish India as a global manufacturing hub, there are certain areas of concern that can impact the effectiveness of the scheme and need attention – be it infrastructure, cost of the component, import duties, export approval, product certification, access to market, or R&D investment. Once all of these issues are addressed, it will increase the utility and effectiveness of the scheme manifold.
Mallapur of Saankhya Labs elaborated on their role. Saankhya Labs is a fabless semiconductor and telecom equipment company. As a fabless company, it designs its own chipsets but gets them to contract manufactured from wafer fabs, and package and test houses (all outside India currently). It then sells these chips under the Saankhya brand to product OEM companies. If the semiconductor manufacturing technology becomes available in India, it could be a customer for wafer manufacturers and OSAT companies.
“Our business model also replicates as a telecom OEM company. We design our electronic system products using Saankhya’s and other semiconductor vendor’s chips, and we get them to contract manufactured mostly in India.”
Elaborating on the fabless model of designing semiconductors, he said that chip products, first define specifications based on target market applications such as telecom, Satcom, etc., and the functions it needs to perform in the system product.
“We invest significant R&D to design a chip. Starting with coding in a hardware description language called Verilog, and performing extensive simulations to verify that the design when manufactured will perform to its specifications in the electronic system. This chip design then goes through a process called design implementation using sophisticated EDA software tools, and finally, into the “mask set” database that represents the billions of transistors on the chip and their connecting wires in the form of polygons etched onto the silicon. We then hand over this mask set database to our wafer manufacturing fab which first manufactures a physical “mask set” which they use repeatedly much like a mold to chemically “print” (etch) the transistors into a silicon wafer. The mask set allows for manufacturing chips in large quantities of millions or tens/hundred of millions.”
Each wafer is further cut into dice (plural, singular — die), packaged to expose only the pins (that are meant to connect the chip to other components on a PCB). Each packaged chip is tested to ensure that each piece does not have any manufacturing defects. These are then ready to be shipped to customers.
Apart from the above process, there is a significant effort in embedded software development, product marketing, sales, and technical support, to help OEM customers develop their system products using Saankhya Labs’ chip. Once customers’ products go through their testing, they place orders for chips in large volumes, which are fulfilled by the outsourced manufacturing process.
with the aim of creating five industrial corridors that will spread across the length and breadth of the country, the government plans to boost the supply-chain ecosystem for various industries.
— Rajnish Gupta, VP & Head for India and Sub-Continent business, Zebra Technologies Asia Pacific
Dr. Venkat Mattela, Founder and CEO of Ceremorphic, added that the PLI strategy for the semiconductor industry is quite promising. The government is trying to create an integrated ecosystem for the chip manufacturing business, and attract semiconductor investments into the country.
Ceremorphic is doing its bit and assisting in the development of India’s promising semiconductor ecosystem, by way of two aspects: talent and infrastructure. In the current environment, talent is never an issue. However, the infrastructure and the past proven experience are key to achieving any meaningful outcome at scale. In both those areas, the ecosystem is developing. It is optimistic that many big accomplishments will be seen in this sector shortly.
Ceremorphic is building technology that will be employed in high-performance computing for decades to come. It will assess the opportunity, moving forward, with development and manufacturing. Currently, it is concentrating on building a unique solution to answer the primary difficulties of a high-performance market.
However, the most difficult aspect of this plan is creating jobs. It is great to see that SMEs are also being urged to take initiative in some sectors where the investment and turnover targets are not very high. Ceremorphic will continue to collaborate closely with state and federal governments to identify mutually beneficial initiatives.
Addressing local and global markets
It offers build-to-print assembly and design-to-print solutions for commercial and space programs.
Now that the government has brought in an enabler, what can the industry do further? Marwah at Nokia said the Government is considering several financial, physical, and nonphysical incentives, beyond PLI, to accelerate the local networking and telecom equipment manufacturing. In the recent budget, the Government announced plans to allocate around INR4000 crore under the PLI scheme to boost 5G design-led manufacturing. Extending these incentives to multinational telecom vendors / OEMs with strong manufacturing and R&D facilities in India, along with a reduction in import duty on telecom components will help make the manufacturing cost-competitive.
Here are some of the measures Nokia believes can help to strengthen the overall manufacturing ecosystem and establish India as an attractive manufacturing destination:
- provide targeted incentives for cutting-edge technology components like multi-layer, complex-material PCBs, etc.
- incentivize global component distributors to set up aggregation facilities in India to make the components available at a low cost.
- provide greater access to global manufacturers/ OEMs.
- reduce import duties on silicon components where there is minimal local production at present.
- simplify export controls such as DGFT SCOMET, to make export approval faster and easier for large volume exporters through a separate dedicated channel.
- increase ease-of-business in telecom product certification and approvals which delay time-to-market eg. TEC MTCTE scheme.
Aequs has advanced into the consumer durable goods manufacturing sector currently making cookware and other products for global brands. It is set to expand manufacturing capacity for contract manufacturing of products across categories at the Hubballi Consumer Durable Goods Cluster (HDC) for both domestic and export markets.
According to Rajnish Gupta, Zebra Technologies, RFID has become the best-in-class inventory management tool for manufacturers. It is the go-to solution for manufacturers along with other location technologies that track material handling equipment. With RFID readers and scanners, manufacturers can drive process improvement, and eliminate wasted motion, excess time, and errors in the supply chain lifecycle.
Zebra’s RFID technology helps manufacturers remove uncertainty about the status of each item and offers greater transparency in the supply chain ecosystem. RFID also makes it easier to confirm the right component is being integrated into the right product, creating serialized as-built records that can be used to quickly locate and pull non-conforming inventory. Additionally, Zebra’s track-and-trace solutions help to locate, identify and evaluate every asset in real-time from anywhere. It also helps to optimize asset utilization, maximize efficiency and ensure regulatory compliance.
Dr. Venkat Mattela, said Ceremorphic is now a mature supercomputing technology company with 150-person management and technical staff that is seasoned and well-competent. The TSMC 5nm node, is designing a supercomputing processor with remarkable reliability and energy efficiency. With the current status of the company, including its technological portfolio, product design strategy, and client sample for the following year (2023), the company has the resources to effectively develop a product. The cost of developing such a chip would be in the hundreds of millions of dollars. The company wants to work with the right people at the right time to partner with.
Ceremorphic has a development center in Hyderabad, India, and is also based out of Silicon Valley, USA. The product is being created in the United States and India and will be offered all over the world. R&D and product development are heavily influenced by India’s development. The India center is involved in creation of architecture, algorithms, semiconductor design, and software tools.
Ceremorphic’s current technology portfolio and design of QS1 will address the issues of reliability and energy efficiency, paving the way for an architecture capable of achieving exascale performance, while maintaining a reasonable power budget. Ceremorphic’s method will make high-performance computing systems more inexpensive, allowing AI and ML applications to become more widespread.
India’s potential is huge! The global semiconductor market is worth $500 billion today and will cross $1 trillion by 2030, growing at a 10% CAGR. The Indian market as an end-consumer today is around $25 billion.
— Hemant Mallapur, Co-Founder and EVP Engineering, Saankhya Labs
Future for startups
Dr. Venkat Mattela, Ceremorphic, felt that companies should reconsider their business approach to focus on larger clientele that can afford to pay a high prices for their start-ups’ services. Entrepreneurs are adjusting company models, pausing growth to focus on core activities, and making the best of the situation by employing people with more reasonable pay packages. Expenses, naturally, are reduced. We now need to focus on key business strengths rather than experiments, decrease the marketing efforts, and maximize customer experience as happy customers will stick around even in hard times.
The goal is to recognise that downturns and upturns are a natural aspect of business, and strong enterprises can thrive on a shoestring budget. To gain the trust of employees, customers, and potential investors, it is critical to be upfront about financials.
Saankha Lab’s Mallapur noted that by the very nature of the semiconductor business, startups can only happen in fabless space. Semiconductor manufacturing requires $1-10B of investment and is not a startup game. Funding is critical for fabless companies and it’s not been available in a significant amount anyway to Indian startups.
A single chip in production requires a $3-30 million investment depending on complexity. Schemes like DLI will help in small ways in developing early prototypes. These can then be used to raise a serious amount of risk capital to take chips into production. Such capital is unavoidable if India has to achieve its full potential in the fabless space.
India’s potential in semiconductors
The Indian government recently approved a `76,000-crore scheme to boost semiconductor and display manufacturing in the country. How much potential does India have to be a manufacturing hub for semiconductors? According to Hemant Mallapur, Saankhya Labs, India’s potential is huge! The global semiconductor market is worth $500 billion today and will cross $1 trillion by 2030, growing at a 10% CAGR. The Indian market as an end-consumer today is around $25 billion. If Indian companies execute well, a share of 5-10% over a decade would mean close to a $50-100 billion opportunity.
He is very optimistic about the semiconductor industry. While the fabless startup ecosystem has been rising in a small way till now, for the first time that big industry houses and government has recognized the economic importance of what a tremendous opportunity the semiconductor industry opens up for the country. There will be challenges of course and decades of work, as it is not an easy business to succeed in and competition from other incumbent countries is formidable. If we put our best as a country into this field, it can change our fortunes as an economy.
With the global supply chain hindrance, and Make in India still taking off, how should one manage semiconductors shortage, raw material shortage, and hardware shortage?
Mallapur noted that the current supply chain issues cannot be solved by setting up domestic semiconductor manufacturing, which has a gestation period of 3-5 years to gain sufficient scale. Longer-term risks of similar shortages can be addressed by domestic manufacturing.
Very long lead times of 30-50 weeks for chip/raw material procurement are a real issue today. This used to be 4-8 weeks in normal times. OEM companies need better forecasting of their production volumes, which will help them plan and place orders sufficiently ahead of time from suppliers to meet production plans. There are other methods, such as designing systems with replaceable alternative chips, and modules that can alleviate, but not eliminate, the supply chain risks.
Dr. Mattela, Ceremorphic, added that when chip shortages forced the shutdown of automotive production lines in 2021, the semiconductor industry was brought to light globally, for the first time. Semiconductor shortage was caused by plenty of issues. Besides long-standing industry difficulties, including limited capacity at semiconductor fabs, Covid-19 presented unique obstacles as well.
For example, as vehicle sales dropped in early 2020, automakers reduced their chip orders. The semiconductor industry has already relocated to other production lines to fulfill the demand for other applications when demand recovered quicker than expected in the second half of 2020. Now, to mitigate the impact of global supply-chain disruptions, the government is increasing its investment in semiconductors.
In addition to boosting manufacturing capacity, semiconductor companies could take several initiatives to maintain growth and meet consumer demand. They could pursue more mergers and acquisitions and collaborations to get that competitive advantage in profitable markets and grow their client base. Semiconductor firms may also expand their investments in cutting-edge technologies that will aid in the development of cutting-edge chips for driverless vehicles, the internet of things, artificial intelligence, and other high-growth areas. During these unpredictable times, more adaptive strategies are crucial.
Overall, the Make in India program has started showing some results. The way forward can only get better. As they say, there are promises to make and keep, and miles to go!
By Pradeep Chakraborty & Aanchal Ghatak


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September 2022 was the third consecutive month with an uptick in U.S. hotel construction, while year-over-year declines have been lessening each month since May 2022, according to STR.
At a market-level, New York City, Phoenix and Nashville are set to see the largest supply percentage increases from current construction. Among the chain scales, the Luxury and Upscale segments lead in that measurement.
U.S. Hotel Pipeline
September 2022 (percentage change in comparison with September 2021):
- In Construction: 156,861 rooms (-8.9%)
- Final Planning: 173,932 rooms (-15.5%)
- Planning: 282,225 rooms (+7.0%)
“There are plenty of concerns around the industry given the likelihood of a recession, but for most markets, new supply will not be an additional headwind in the short term,” said Alison Hoyt, STR’s senior director of consulting. “Even though the declines have slowed, activity is still down year over year, and the industry is 63,000 rooms below the construction peak from 2020. That places the possibility of new supply increasing competition further out on the horizon.”
When looking at the in-construction phase of the pipeline, luxury chain scales show the highest number of rooms as a percentage of existing supply.
1. Luxury (5.7%, 7,777 rooms)
2. Upscale (4.6%, 40,620 rooms)
3. Upper Midscale (3.5%, 41,422 rooms)
4. Upper Upscale (2.9%, 19,434 rooms)
5. Midscale (2.5%, 10,870 rooms)
6. Economy (0.9%, 6,206 rooms)
New York City leads the major markets in rooms in construction as a percentage of existing supply.
1. New York City (9.4%, 12,000 rooms)
2. Phoenix (6.6%, 4,558 rooms)
3. Nashville (5.6%, 3,181 rooms)
4. Detroit (5.0%, 2,343 rooms)
5. Miami (4.8%, 3,106 rooms)
“Limited-service continues to lead the national pipeline based on room count, but when you look at the numbers by percentage of existing rooms, it’s luxury hotels at the forefront,” said Hoyt. “That trend, however, does not correlate across the board when looking at individual markets. New York City, for example, shows in-construction economy hotels holding the highest percentage of existing supply at 37.2%. The market has been quite a comeback story over the last few months, achieving high levels in revenue per available room compared with other markets, thus remaining an attractive option to developers.”
STR provides premium data benchmarking, analytics and marketplace insights for the global hospitality industry. Founded in 1985, STR maintains a presence in 15 countries with a corporate North American headquarters in Hendersonville, Tennessee, an international headquarters in London, and an Asia Pacific headquarters in Singapore. STR was acquired in October 2019 by CoStar Group, Inc. (NASDAQ: CSGP), the leading provider of commercial real estate information, analytics and online marketplaces. For more information, please visit str.com and costargroup.com.

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POOR PREPARATIONS HAMPERING MANGO EXPORTS TO CHINA
From KHALID BUTT, Lahore
June 20 - 26, 2005
Despite the tall claim made by the Federal Minister of Commerce, Humayun Akhtar Khan, for making a quantum leap in exports by sending a 'huge' mango quantity to China after signing the protocol, the Pakistani mango exporters are yet to get any order from Chinese buyers in spite of the start of harvesting season, sources said here .
However, Pakistan Horticulture Development and Export Board (PHDEP) is still dreaming to export 5,000 tons to China while formulating the mango export marketing strategy 2005, whereas about 250 tons of Indian mango was exported to China last year, which got sold in Beijing and Shanghai markets within two hours.
The sources said that the PHDEP has yet to make arrangement in sending any trial shipment for the current season. The last year's shipment to China was duly rejected for the lack of proper quality fruit.
China has recently given market access to Pakistani mangoes with the condition that the fruit must be treated through hot water dip for one hour at 48 degree Celsius temperature to sterilise fruit fly eggs. In addition, the mangoes should be packed in 5 kilograms new corrugated boxes clearly indicating the area of production, farm name, count and weight in the Chinese language.
The exporters told this reporter that there has been no or very little co-ordination between the stakeholders and the Horticulture Export Board, which had been formulating the so-called marketing strategy for export promotion by sitting in its office.
Exporters said that a trial shipment should have been sent to China by the PHDEP during May, involving PPD and the exporter (one South African company has shown interest in sending a trial shipment on consignment basis through their network). However, the Board had failed till date in finalising any arrangement.
Talking about lack of infrastructure, the exporters say that scarcity in storage and transportation infrastructure resulted in about 73 per cent post harvest losses that shrinks supply and put pressure on prices as lost quantities never reach consumers. They said that the prevention of such losses can provide exportable surplus.
Exporters said that the PHDEP had to make arrangements for disinfestations against fruit flies in collaboration with PARAS, CABI & PPD using irradiation, hot water dip & vapour heat treatment methods under the Research and Development head. They said that PHDEP had yet to make any arrangement for enhancing shelf life of irradiated mangoes in collaboration with PARAS & UAF, besides chilling injury at different temperature regimes in collaboration with UAF.
The sources further said that signing of protocols with China had opened access to new markets for Pakistan and the product was to be exported duty free, providing the country a competitive edge over other competitors.
Exporters say that besides looking at the potential demand for mangoes it is important to evaluate the required infrastructure to support the demand. Presently, only one unit has been registered with Chinese quarantine department, which is allowed to process and export to China while two are in the process of being registered.
Exporters said that the initial response in China was very positive as the fruit was preferred to the local and other imported mangoes. There is a huge potential but it depends upon certain critical factors. One of the key factors is the price, which mainly depends on the mode of transportation i.e. through land or sea. Secondly, proper infrastructure i.e. production capacity with appropriate technology (registered processing units) is required to support the increasing demand.
Talking about the experiment to increase shelf life, the exporters said that the PHDEP has yet to take initiative in collaboration with UAF research for enhancing mango shelf life.
About the increase in the number of registered units for increasing production capacity for exports, the exporters said that at present only one unit had been approved and registered with Chinese quarantine department, whereas two other units, IAC and Durrani Associates, were under process, which had been in need of PHDEP assistance.
Exporters said that if the trial shipment proves successful it should be transformed into commercial shipments, which were expected to start in June. The exporters pointed out that promotional activities were urgently required before the season.
They said that the Board has yet to develop any kind of brochures in Chinese language for distribution of sample mangoes in special small boxes (branding).
Exporters said that after the famous `Dossehri' mango of Sindh which gained liking the world over for its taste and aroma, `Chaunsa', another mouth-watering variety, is in much demand in offshore markets. Known for its gentle sweetness and a fair average size, Chaunsa has been successfully exported to England and several European countries with demands for the variety pouring in frequently. The popularity of Chaunsa depends upon the fact that each fruit normally weighed more than 300 grams with its thick, golden-yellow skin. "Moreover, its shelf life is longer than other varieties like `Langda', which is very delicious but highly perishable under export conditions," they said.


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Intel is set to launch several Sandy Bridge-based low-power processors under its Huron River platform, Core i7-2640LM, 2620LM, 2630UM and 2610LM, as well as Core i5-2530UM, in addition to its Core i7-2920XM, 2820QM, 2720QM and 2620M, and Core i5-2540M and 2520M, according to sources from notebook players.
Intel also plans to launch a Celeron processor coded B801 for the entry-level notebook market.
Huron River consists of a 32nm Sandy Bridge processor and QS67/QM67 chipset, and is equipped with either a combination of Centrino Ultimate-N/Advanced-N 6000 series wireless or Centrino Advanced-N/WiMAX 6000 series wireless. The platform will also support Intel's Wireless Display (WiDi) technology.
As vendors are expected to launch Huron River-based notebooks, while cutting the price of their Calpella-based models in the first quarter of 2011, consumer demand in the quarter is expected to become strong, the sources noted.


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SEIZE AN ESTIMATED $1.7 MILLION IN COUNTERFEIT ITEMS
RIVERSIDE – An Eastvale man has been arrested by Riverside County District Attorney’s investigators who seized counterfeit items with an estimated retail value of at least $1.7 million.
IN ILLEGAL UNLICENSED CANNABIS DISPENSARY CASE
RIVERSIDE – Two Banning men who illegally operated an unlicensed cannabis dispensary – twice -- entered guilty pleas today, Dec. 19, 2019, to felony conspiracy to possess cannabis for sale.
RIVERSIDE – The son of a man already charged in a 1998 cold case murder has been arrested by DA’s Investigators and has now also has been charged in the murder.
CONSUMER PROTECTION CASE SETTLEMENT WITH BEVMO! INC
RIVERSIDE – Today, Dec. 10, 2019, District Attorney Mike Hestrin announced today that BevMo!, Inc. has been ordered to pay costs and penalties in a civil law enforcement case alleging BevMo! posted prices in stores and advertisements and then charged higher prices at the time of checkout.


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“As we are working with publishers on price negotiation, making custom items and getting rid of hardcovers we are able to get a better price for textbooks,” said Owl Bookshop manager Eric Magallon.
However, Magallon said that the prices at the Bookshop have actually increased due to a publisher price hike.
Research suggests that as prices climb, students are adapting to the change by buying books from other students, online from websites like chegg.com and Amazon.com, or skipping the buying process altogether and renting them.
The first week of the semester is the best time to buy and sell books, since both supply and demand are at their peaks. The book buyback program is also available to students who want to sell their used books.
The Book Buyback tents will operate just outside of the Bookshop Aug. 30-31 and Sept. 10-11, beginning at 9 a.m.
Students are looking in different places and using online resources to find better prices for the materials they need.
“I try to cut back on spending as much as I can,” said student Kyle Garza, who still likes to have the latest edition of textbooks. “I use the Owl Bookshop to buy my books.”
“Profits from the bookstore help pay for services on campus,” said Magallon, who pointed out some of the advantages of buying textbooks at the Bookshop. “We have a refund policy available and mark downs on textbooks that need to be unloaded.”
The Owl Bookshop also offers textbook rentals through its website: owlbookshop.rentsbooks.com.
“I tend to rent books,” said nursing major Jordon Lowndes. “If I don’t have the money, I wait until I’m able to use my Cal Grant to buy the book.”
Others use online resources to find a better price on textbooks.
“I buy books online, or anywhere I can find them at a better price,” said art major Christina Osuna. “I don’t like selling them because you don’t get what you pay for them. They change all the time, so I just build my own library. With this economy you have to look everywhere to save a buck.”
Other students use financial services that are available to them such as Extended Opportunity Programs and Services and Financial Aid.
“I buy my books through the aid that I get from EOP&S,” said student Roberto Villagomez. “I buy them used to save money.”
Many textbooks are on reserve in the Citrus College library. Texts for most general education courses are available for a two-hour period on site.
“A lot of students use the reserved books,” said library media assistant Carmen Mexia. “They are able to use the textbooks they need when they don’t have the money. It makes it hard when they have to compete for a book in a limited amount of time.”
The Hayden Memorial Library has a small selection of books available to check out for a three-week period, renewable once.
“Use the material you buy,” said Magallon. “Find out how the educational material is going to be used.”


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Here's Cristiano Ronaldo showing off his hamstrings.
Don't skip leg day.
Here's Cristiano Ronaldo showing off his hamstrings.
Don't skip leg day.
8:00 AM PT -- TMZ Sports spoke with Tolbert who says he tried to pay with a check, but the shop said they would only take cash.
So, he went to the bank and got the money ... in change.
As for the dispute, Tolbert says he NEVER threatened anybody -- but says he firmly believes he was intentionally overcharged by more than $1,000 because he's an NFL player.
Tolbert says his car still isn't running correctly and he'll be taking it to another shop for further repairs.
One last thing ... Tolbert says the shop is slandering him -- and if they don't stop, he'll consider taking legal action. Here's a jerk move -- Carolina Panthers fullback Mike Tolbert paid an auto shop $3,900 IN COINS after feuding with the owner over the price of a new motor.
It all started when Tolbert went to Motion Lab Tuning to get some work done -- but MT says the place tried to rake him over the coals because "I'm a millionaire." He posted on Instagram calling the owner a crook.
But the shop has now fired back in a Facebook post (likely written by the owner) -- claiming Mike was the real problem ... demanding free work because of his NFL status.
The shop says the dispute got so intense, Mike and a friend threatened him -- so he called police and the Charlotte-Mecklenburg PD banned Tolbert from the property.
However, that wasn't the end of the war ... the owner claims, "In a passive aggressive manner, [Tolbert] thought he would get the last laugh by paying in coins."
"Pretty dumb really. All $3,900 in coins were easily identifiable as they came from a bank in boxes and perfectly counted out. I will say this, those coins will be taken in the boxes they came in and will be taken to a teller at BOA for deposit."
The worst part of the story -- the shop owner says, " I also have to break it to my son who is a fan of Mike Tolbert that he is a real scumbag that doesn't want to pay his bills."
Being engaged to the CEO of a giant tech company has its perks -- just ask Miranda Kerr ... who says she's already had a go at wearing Snapchat Spectacles.
We got the Victoria's Secret Angel at LAX where she gave us her take on her fiance Evan Spiegel's new camera glasses, and Snapchat in general -- she's a fan ... obviously.
Check out the clip ... she even riffs on Evan's new foe, Instagram Stories ... and it sounds like she uses it as she pleases, or at least, she can if she wants.
Sources close to French tell us the rapper dropped about $100k on the 7 rings he gifted her earlier this week. The rings were crafted by celeb jeweler Iceman Nick, who's also done some expensive bedazzling for a bunch of other rappers.
The purchase did the trick. Iggy gave French a shout-out on Instagram, after weeks of denying they've hooked up.
He also got Nick's blessing, not that he needed it.
Kevin Garnett has decided to call it quits after 21 seasons in the NBA.
K.G. hit up Instagram ... and posted an emotional video saying "farewell" to his fans.
The 5th overall pick of the 1995 Draft, Garnett spent most of his career with the Wolves, and was the league MVP in 2004. He won an NBA title as a member of the Boston Celtics in 2008.
The Big Ticket was a 15 time All-Star ... and is a shoo-in for the Pro Basketball Hall of Fame.
Hardware aside, K.G. will go down as one of the best trash-talkers of all time ... after famous on-court (and off-court) feuds with Dwight Howard and Carmelo Anthony.
Here's to retirement!
Chris responded to the story TMZ broke about Nia filing a complaint with child services after the standoff with cops that led to his arrest for assault with a deadly weapon.
Since the arrest all Chris' visits with Royalty are monitored, still ... he insists he has the father thing down pat.
Iggy posted a pic of her fingers enveloped in 7 diamond bands.
Iggy captioned the pic, "He told me pressure makes diamonds," and tagged the rapper and his jeweler, Iceman Nick.
Iggy's played coy up to this point, calling French a "friend," despite their makeout trip to Mexico a few weeks back ... but diamonds clearly make it official.
She had to return the engagement ring she got from Nick Young, but doesn't seem like she's hurting in the carat department.
AND SHE'S FREAKIN' GOOD.
You've heard Cha'iel's name before ... she's an absolute PHENOM on the track, having won a gold medal in the 800 meters at the Junior Olympics this past August.
Well, now she's trying soccer ... and from the looks of the video her dad posted to Instagram just now ... the domination shall continue ... you gotta watch as she torches the whole team and scores.
BTW -- We talked to Chad ... and he told us it was HER FIRST SOCCER GAME EVER. Sometimes, it's just in the blood.
Paris Jackson broke down in tears over a wave of hatred she's receiving on the Internet ... and said it's the same thing she went through when she tried to commit suicide at 14.
In the raw, emotional video she wonders why there's "so much hatred in the world." She explained she'd quit social media after cyberbullying drove her to attempt killing herself ... but she returned and made her Instagram account public at the request of fans.
She acknowledges she's an "easy target" and understands she's not the only one going through this. Paris even references her friend Sofia Richie and the hate she's getting from Justin Bieber fans.
But 18-year-old Paris seems strong and defiant, pleading to bullies ... "When you say damaging things like that to people it f**** them up."
You know it's bad when Federleezy's takin' shots.
Ana had fun in the sun and snapped a few bikini selfies at Playa Del Rey beach, and it's easy to see why the curvy model has more than a million followers ... baby got back!
Blac Chyna has no limits when it comes to hawking gear ... even if it's a total rip-off of the clothing line of her brother-in-law to be.
Kanye unveiled his Yeezy Season 4 collection this week ... and just hours later Chyna posted an ad on her Instagram for some shiny boots from Fashion Nova -- and she gets $$$ to push their stuff.
The boots are a dead ringer for Kanye's line. And here's the galling part for Kanye ... Chyna's kicks way undercut him ... $39 a pop, compared to Yeezy boots which run around $1k a pair.
Chyna deleted the post, as she sometimes does. We're guessing she might have gotten a call.
We reached out to a rep at Fashion Nova, who hardly apologized, saying, "We look to the past, present and future for fashion trends ... at Fashion Nova we have great admiration for Kanye West as he is clearly a trend setter for both fashion and music."
No shame in their game.
Dan Bilzerian's outrageous lifestyle -- sex, chicks, guns and drugs -- made him Instagram's king of the bros, but it's too hot for the app world ... his new emojis have been shut down. For now.
As we first reported, Dan launched "Bilzerian's Blitzmoji" ... featuring some seriously over-the-top images -- Dan doing coke off a model's ass, Dan's pet goat and Dan's pet goat with models. We'd rather not say what the goat was doing.
Anyhow, the honchos at Apple and Google were not down with the illustration of drugs or bestiality, and stopped selling the 'Blitzmojis.'
We're told Bilzerian's team is making changes and will relaunch shortly with a more PG-13 version.


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As 2016 draws to a close, it's time to start looking to the new year for more events that will help you improve your business. You can also add your own events and awards to our calendar. Learn more here.
Small Business Editor
Welcome to our daily Small Business News Feed. Monday through Friday (except holidays) we bring you a roundup of significant news affecting the small business market.
Facebook and Instagram introduced new tools for users this week. Check out what they are and who else was making news in this week's small business news and information roundup.Dec 2, 2016 149 Shares
With 2,728 core rules to the Social Security benefit program, it’s not surprising that many retirees are leaving substantial money on the table. Maximize your benefits today - here's how.Nov 28, 2016 128 Shares
The year of 2016 may be fading fast, but events remain that can make you the small business owner you want to be in 2017 -- and beyond. Check these events again to see which are right for you.Nov 26, 2016 210 Shares
As 2016 ends, your eyes should probably turn to the new year. This list of upcoming events includes one in the City of Angeles you may wish to consider.Nov 19, 2016 203 Shares
Microsoft and Skype made some big news this week for small businesses, offering new products and services. Read about these and much much more in this week's small business news and information roundup.Nov 18, 2016 155 Shares
Learn more about running your business efficiently and other small business lessons by attending upcoming events like Nexton16. Don't miss them.Nov 12, 2016 203 Shares
It's almost impossible to wrap up this week in small business news without talking about the election and voters across the country had their say on issues important to business beyond the big ticket race.Nov 11, 2016 130 Shares
The year 2016 may be winding down, but the business events just keep on coming. Keep this list on file of helpful events you may want to attend while there's still time.Nov 5, 2016 192 Shares
If your small business needs a serious tech upgrade, this was a good week for you. A few companies introduced some exciting new products and services that could be the right fit.Nov 4, 2016 130 Shares
Bill.com and QuickBooks announced a partnership and several other big companies made waves this week. Read all about it, as they say, in this week's small business news and information roundup.Oct 28, 2016 173 Shares


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Kingsfield Tech team granted Microsoft Gold Accreditation after £1m sales milestone
Kingsfield's expanding tech team has achieved Gold Accreditation from Microsoft after reaching over £1 million in sales in just five months.
Video conferencing: How to make interviewing less awkward
Candidates still prefer face-to-face job interviews, finding them less awkward than video interviews, according to a BBC report.
Apple's dirty supply chain - give us a break
The allegations levelled against Apple in ABC's Four Corner's programme are serious. But are they reasonable? And do they matter for the channel?.
How to access BBC iPlayer from New Zealand
Here’s how to access BBC's iPlayer from here in New Zealand so you can watch many more BBC programs.
Errors spell disaster for online businesses
Use of proper English key for establishing website credibility.
YouTube turns five
YouTube sees two billion daily views as it turns five, but co-founder Chad Hurley sees more potential.


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Lier Chemical (002258) 2018 Annual Report Comments: Performance basically in line with expectations Guangan project gradually future growth
Incident Lier Chemical releases its 2018 annual report.
The company achieved operating income of 40 in 2018.
27 ppm, an increase of 30 in ten years.
60%; realize net profit attributable to shareholders of listed companies.
78 ppm, an increase of 43 in ten years.
75%; basic return 1.
The company expects to achieve a net profit of 5780 attributable to shareholders of listed companies from January to March 2019.
550,000 yuan, a year of decline of 20% -50%.
The company plans to build a production line of 15,000 tons / year of methyl phosphorus dichloride, 2000 tons / year of phosphorus-containing flame retardants, and 3,000 tons / year of L-glyphosate.It is expected to achieve an annual income of 7 after reaching production.
The 2018 performance is in line with expectations, and the 2019 Q1 performance forecast is slightly lower than expected.
In 2018, the company’s operating income increased by 30 per year.
6%, mainly benefited from the increase in the volume and price of the main product glufosinate.
In 2018, the annual production capacity of glufosinate in the company’s Mianyang base increased to 8,400 tons, an annual increase of 68%.
5 million / ton, an annual increase of 7%.
The company expects that net profit in the first quarter of 2019 will decrease by 20% -50%, mainly due to the decline in profit contribution of some products and the progressive construction of the Guang’an base.
The current price of glufosinate is around 15.
50,000 yuan / ton, which is 20% higher than the average price in the first quarter of last year.
The industry supplements production capacity or releases it intensively, and the price of glufosinate is under pressure.
From the supply side, it is determined that the 西安耍耍网 additional production capacity released in 2019 will come from Lier and Yisheng, while Bayer (6,000 tons), Huifeng (5000 tons), and Red Sun (3,000 tons) have not yet put into operation additional production capacity.
If the above capacity is put into production this year, it will have a distorted impact on glufosinate prices, or more than 15 million / ton.
The Guang’an base is making steady progress, waiting for the release of production capacity to increase profits.
The 1,000 tons of fluroxypyr in the Guang’an base were put into production at the end of last year, and 1,000 tons of fluconazole are expected to be put into production in the first half of this year.
With the successive commissioning of products such as propafluchlor and fluconazole, the company’s profit channels will be broadened.
Profit forecast We are optimistic about the company’s scale, technology, cost advantage and long-term growth of the company in the glufosinate field. It is estimated that the EPS for 2019-2021 will be 1.
92 yuan, corresponding to the closing price of 15 on February 27.
25 yuan, PE is 11, 9, and 8 times, maintaining the “overweight” level.
Risk reminder: The price of glufosinate has fallen sharply; the progress of new projects is less than expected.


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Mobile devices are infiltrating the enterprise at an astounding rate. From smartphones to tablets, the corporate world is being inundated with products that are designed to keep employees working while they're away from the office. Most companies believe the effort works. In fact, the sheer number of smartphones and tablets entering the enterprise seems to indicate that without mobile products, many companies believe that they wouldn't be able to compete as effectively in the marketplace.
A new study from iPass, the Global Mobile Workforce Report, examines mobile products’ impact on the enterprise. Not surprisingly, iPass found the corporate world is relying heavily on smartphones and tablets. What's more, survey respondents indicate that in the coming years, the average firm's reliance on mobile devices will only increase. In short, get ready for smartphones and tablets to increasingly affect your IT operations.
Surprise, surprise: Apple's iPhone owns 53% of the enterprise market, up from 45% last year.
IT Solutions Builder TOP IT RESOURCES TO MOVE YOUR BUSINESS FORWARD
Which topic are you interested in?
What is your company size?
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What is your job function?
Searching our resource database to find your matches...


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Oculus has sent out invites for a special Rift event on June 11 in San Francisco. The company is expected to reveal more about its Oculus Rift virtual reality headset at this event.
The event invite (via TechCrunch) sent to media captioned “Step into the Rift” accompanied with a picture of a Oculus Rift virtual headset-like device image doesn’t reveal any other detail about the upcoming event.
We are expecting that the company will provide more information about the consumer Rift headset launch on June 11. So far, the company has detailed that the final consumer version will ship with integrated audio and built-in headphones, and would begin shipping during H1 2016, while the pre-orders will start in Q4, 2015.


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Instamojo is one of the top-rated and leading e-commerce platforms in India; it is a free payment gateway that has recently raised an undisclosed amount of funding from Japan-based Base and Gunosy Capital from Singapore.
The payment gateway company is a digital enabler for many small and medium enterprises in the country offering these micro-businesses an efficient platform for their payments. However, this is not the first investment that Gunosy Capital has made to Instamojo. Earlier in January 2019 during Instamojo’s series B funding round that concluded with the company raising INR 50 crore, Gunosy Capital participated as an existing investor.
Everyone knows what Shopify is and what it does so it would be easier to understand when I say that Base is known as the Shopify of Japan. This undisclosed investment from Base in the Bengaluru-based Instamojo is a strategic move for the digital enabler. Being backed by Base will ensure Instamojo’s entry into the overseas market and local marketplaces with technology and knowledge.
According to reports, CEO of Instamojo, Sampad Swain refused to share details on the deals but mentioned that the company is building an online store and e-commerce platform for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and these freshly acquired funds will be used by the company to tap into newer markets, overseas and expand its business.
COVID-19 pandemic has been a rough phase this year, especially for offline businesses, but Instamojo turned profitable even during the lockdown period when many people were losing jobs. The digital enabler company allows small businesses and merchants to sell their products through the internet and accept payments digitally. According to the statistics, the company managed to grow even during the lockdown.
Furthermore, Instamojo claimed to became cash-flow positive in the peak month of June where other businesses were drowning. Additionally, the company reached its all-time highest Gross Margin value (GMV) at INR 2,000 crore.
The Bengaluru-based start-up started as a payment gateway but is now rigorously tapping into the e-commerce market to enable digitisation since January 2019. In order to reach their ambition, Instamojo also acquired GetMeAShop, a Times Internet-backed company.
Well, it is no surprise that the e-commerce market has certainly become overcrowded with the dominance of some high-stake players such as Walmart, Amazon and Reliance. Tata is soon to enter the platform by next year and it is tough to imagine the future of smaller companies in this sector at the moment.


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Vivo has launched a new phone in China, called the Vivo Y93 with a Snapdragon 439 chipset and of course the now famous tear drop notch. It’s basically a mid-range phone. The key highlights include a bigger display and dual-rear camera setup.
Well, coming straight to the specs department, then the Vivo Y93 possesses a 6.2inch HD+ display, with a resolution of 720x1580p. The aspect ratio is 19:9, while there is also an AI assistant, provided by Vivo itself, and it’s called Jovi, which is Vivo’s own assistant-much like Xiaomi’s Chinese AI.
The phone is powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 439 SoC, which clocks at 1.95GHz and is coupled with a 4GB of RAM. When it comes to the optics then the Y93 has a dual-rear camera setup with 13MP (primary) + 2MP (secondary) lenses. On the front, there is a 8MP selfie camera lens. The rear cameras feature phase detection auto-focus, and AI-powered portrait mode, while the front one has features like Face Wake, AI beauty, and AR (augmented reality) stickers.
Connectivity includes Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, 4G VoLTE, GPS, dual-SIM support, and also OTG support. The internal capacity of 64GB can also be expanded via the option of microSD card, of up to 256GB. For security, the phone has the Facial recognition feature, but no fingerprint sensor. The durability of the performance during a day will be ensured fully, thanks to a huge 4,030mAh battery. The Android platform is Android Oreo 8.1, layered in Vivo’s own FuntouchOS 4.5.
Since the phone is just launched, in China, so it’s been priced at around CNY 1,500 (translating to around Rs.15,900), available online via Vivo’s online store. The model will be available in Starry Night and Red colour options. Information about making it available in other markets has not been given yet.
Had this been released in India as of now, then Xiaomi’s phones would’ve got a really tough competitor in the Y93, since it offers some alluring features, though, even if they are not many.


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Debenhams staff took action on Friday
DEBENHAMS workers are to block stock being removed from the chain’s stores and warehouses after voting in favour of strike action.
After a big protest at the British retailer’s store in O’Connell Street, which closed during the onset of Covid-19, staff represented by Mandate are set to take more draconian measures in the hope of having the firm pay their redundancy.
Some 97% of the workers nationally voted for strike action, which is being backed by the Mandate trade union.
Workers believe Debenhams has up to €35m in stock in Ireland, and are fearful it will be moved to the firm’s British operation which is set to carry on trading.
In Limerick, more than 50 of the 100 retail staff who lost their jobs held a protest.
They joined other Debenhams staff from around the country left in the same boat after Debenhams put its Irish operation in liquidation.
The move has shuttered its 11 stores and cost almost 1,000 jobs, including at the landmark O’Connell Street building in Limerick.
Throughout the protest, car, bus and van drivers blew their horns in support of the staff, while CostCo, based in Carew Park provided bottles of water to the demonstrators.
Liquidator Mr Kieran Wallace did not return a request for comment. Debenhams Ireland had previously told the High Court it had “no option” but to wind the firm up.


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For Immediate Release: September 23, 2011
Contact: Lorri Crowley (202) 482-3809
U.S. Companies Explore Export Opportunities During Trade Misison to SOuth Africa
Cape Town, South Africa – Michael Camuñez, Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Market Access and Compliance, today concluded the International Trade Administration’s (ITA) trade development mission to Johannesburg and Cape Town, South Africa.
The mission, which focused on the sustainable and efficient energy, aerospace, and educational services and skills development sectors, introduced representatives from 19 U.S. firms to public and private sector officials and potential business partners in the thriving South African market.
“After a week in country, I am more convinced than ever that there are very real, short- and long-term business opportunities here. Many of our companies found significant prospective partners, and we expect great things to come from this mission, especially in the area of alternative energy, "Camuñez said. “American companies are poised to play a critical role in helping South Africa meet its energy challenges, to which the country will devote significant resources in the coming years."
The mission advances President Obama’s National Export Initiative, which aims to double U.S. exports by the end of 2014, supporting economic and job growth in the United States.
“The demand for U.S. technology, products and services is very real, and our companies learned they are well positioned in this market.” Camuñez said. "We will continue to work with and advocate for these companies as they enter the market to ensure they are able to compete on a level playing field."
With its robust business and financial sector, its indigenous multinational enterprises, substantial foreign investment, and well-developed infrastructure, South Africa is often seen as the point of access to develop markets throughout Sub-Saharan Africa. In 2010, U.S. merchandise exports to South Africa totaled $5.6 billion. Through June 2011, U.S. exports to this critical market have increased by more than 65 percent from the same period last year.
The Commerce Department’s International Trade Administration has representation across the globe to help businesses start exporting, increase their exports and find business opportunities in foreign countries, leading to job creation in America. ITA also helps ensure a level playing field globally for U.S. businesses.
International Trade Administration
The International Trade Administration (ITA) is the premier resource for American companies competing in the global marketplace. ITA has 2,100 employees assisting U.S. exporters in more than 100 U.S. cities and 77 countries worldwide. For more information on ITA visit www.trade.gov.
The International Trade Administration, U.S. Department of Commerce, manages this global trade site to provide access to ITA information on promoting trade and investment, strengthening the competitiveness of U.S. industry, and ensuring fair trade and compliance with trade laws and agreements. External links to other Internet sites should not be construed as an endorsement of the views or privacy policies contained therein. This site contains PDF documents. A PDF reader is available from Adobe Systems Incorporated.


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Reprise RecordsAn oil painting owned by Eric Clapton has been sold at auction for $34 million, reports the BBC. The piece, entitled “Abstraktes Bild,” was painted in 1994 by German artist Gerhard Richter, and has been described as a “masterpiece of calculated chaos.”
A round of applause broke out as the painting went under the hammer at Sotheby’s in London on Friday. The artwork, which was expected to sell between $14 million and $19 million, was sold to an anonymous bidder. The selling price is an auction record for a work by a living artist.
Art experts say Richter is thought by some to be the world’s greatest living painter with “Abstraktes Bild” being called one of the “great abstract masterpieces.”
Even before the $34 million sale, Clapton -- a serious art collector -- was ranked the 17th-richest British musician, according to the Sunday *****, with an estimated wealth of more than $224 million.
Copyright 2012 ABC News Radio


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'White House Christmas' Returns to HGTV and Discovery+ Dec. 12, 2021
HGTV's fan-fave holiday special, White House Christmas — starring HGTV host and designer Genevieve Gorder — offers viewers a special VIP-access tour of the residence's iconic rooms and spaces as decorated for the holiday season. First Lady Jill Biden is on hand to help guide the tour and to share some background and history.
The 2021 edition of HGTV's annual special White House Christmas premieres this year on HGTV Sunday, Dec. 12, at 6 p.m. ET/PT. The popular and visually dazzling special spotlights the iconic home's brilliant holiday displays — including 78,750 dazzling lights, more than 10,000 ornaments, 6,000 feet of ribbon and 41 Christmas trees. The special will also be available to stream on Discovery+.
Gifts From the Heart
As they stop in each room, including the Blue Room, the Green Room and the East Room, Dr. Biden will discuss the details behind the preparations and the meaning of this year's decor theme, Gifts from the Heart.
Inspired by the small acts of kindness that have lifted spirits during the pandemic, the gifts — faith, community, family, friendship, appreciation for the arts, learning, nature, gratitude, service, peace and unity — are reflected throughout the stunning holiday decor at the White House.
White House Christmas 2021 will showcase iridescent doves and shooting stars illuminating the East Colonnade in honor of frontline workers and first responders; the magnificent Blue Room tree featuring a shimmering banner embossed with the name of each state and territory; and the famed gingerbread replica in the State Dining Room specially crafted from 55 sheets of baked gingerbread, 120 pounds of pastillage, 35 pounds of chocolate and 25 pounds of royal icing. The Gold Star Tree honors the heroic men and women of our Nation's military, who have laid down their lives for our country, and the families who carry on their legacies.
"White House Christmas has been a visual feast on HGTV for 24 years—a colorful, magical, celebratory and uplifting experience for the entire family," said Jane Latman, president, HGTV & Streaming Home Content, Discovery, Inc. "This year's decor theme, Gifts from the Heart, evokes every feel-good feeling, so gather the people you love, grab the caramel popcorn and give yourself the first gift of the season — 60 minutes of purely joyful viewing."
Relive White House Christmases Past
+ Stream It Anytime on Discovery+
Got a busy holiday schedule? Worried you might miss this year's special? We've got good news. In addition to airing on HGTV, this year and for the first time White House Christmas will be also available for streaming on Discovery+. The special will be accessible on D+ beginning Sunday, Dec. 12, the same day as the HGTV linear premiere.
And for the extra-dedicated, fans will now also be able to stream and revisit past years' White House Chrismas specials on Discovery+.
Viewers are invited to connect with White House Christmas 2021 on HGTV's digital platforms at HGTV.com and by following @HGTV and #WhiteHouseChristmas on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and TikTok. In addition, fans can follow First Lady Jill Biden via @flotus and Genevieve Gorder at @genevievegorder on Instagram. The special will be available the same day and time as the linear premiere on HGTV GO — Sunday, Dec. 12, at 6 p.m. ET/PT.
White House Christmas 2021 is produced by Big Fish Entertainment.
The taping of this special was conducted following strict COVID-19 protocols aligned with CDC guidance.
HGTV delivers families with relatable stories, superstar real estate and renovation experts and amazing home transformations that inspire a passionate audience. For anyone seeking entertaining and aspirational home and lifestyle content, HGTV is the place to be. HGTV offers: a top 10 cable network that is distributed to 79 million U.S. households; a website, HGTV.com, that attracts an average of 9.9 million people each month; a social footprint of 27 million; HGTV Magazine, a monthly publication that reaches more than one million readers; and exclusive collections of home-oriented products through the HGTV Home® consumer products line. HGTV content also is available on discovery+, the definitive non-fiction, real life subscription streaming service. Offered on a variety of platforms and devices, including ones from Amazon, Apple, Google, Microsoft, Roku and Samsung, discovery+ features a landmark partnership with Verizon that gives their customers with select plans up to 12 months of discovery+ on Verizon.


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Wired Productions announced today that the rock-themed, co-op dungeon brawler Super Dungeon Bros will support an extended Closed Beta starting on October 14th and Open Beta for the weekend of October 21st on Steam. The back-to-back Betas will serve as an opportunity for fans to get early hands-on with Axl, Lars, Freddie and Ozzie in Super Dungeon Bros ahead of its worldwide launch on November 1st, 2016 for Xbox One, PlayStation4, PC and Steam.
Gamers with access to a Steam account are encouraged to sign up for the Closed Beta, which begins on October 14th at 4.00PM BST and runs through October 20th. During this period, fans will have a chance to try out the game’s single-player and local multiplayer modes with four players. To sign up for the Beta and for more details, please visit www.superdungeonbros.com .
Gamers will also have the opportunity to get hands-on time with Super Dungeon Bros in a fully online Open Beta offering four player co-op matchmaking with other Beta participants. Interested gamers can download the game for Steam during its Open Beta period from October 21st until October 24th at 8.00AM BST when the Beta will close: http://store.steampowered.com/app/306000/.
View the official gameplay teaser trailer below!


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DECATUR, AL (WAFF) - You now have more options to get around in Decatur.
The Decatur City Council just signed off on a measure that will put both Lyft and Uber in operation next week.
WAFF 48's Lauren Scharf spoke with city leaders about what this means for Decatur.
A safe option to get yourself home that's been in Huntsville for a while can now be used anywhere in Decatur.
"There are communities out there that are much larger than ours in Alabama that have neither one of them, so we are very fortunate that they saw the good part of our community and the area," said Walley Terry, Decatur's Director of Development.
Terry said he's hopeful that allowing Lyft and Uber to operate in the city will attract other major businesses to town.
"That maybe will bring the next technology that they see that Decatur has a Lyft and Uber, it may allow us to get the next product or the next item that is out there."
Mayor Tab Bowling says this new service will also provide more options for people catching flights or for folks just in town for a few days on business.
"For those who come to Decatur from out of town to do business with our industrial base here or our aerospace industry at ULA, it will just be a nice way to reach out to them with ridesharing with Uber and Lyft and make their way into Decatur," said Bowling.
"I think it's going to be a real nice asset to our community."
Copyright 2017 WAFF. All rights reserved.


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Investing in crytocurrencies
The primary reason Bitcoin is so popular now could be as it’s buying and selling at an all-time substantial. But the real reasons Bitcoin to begin with turn out to be popular are as a result of it’s anonymous and unregulated mother nature.
In spite of Oldenburg himself getting somewhat unknown in the broader Area, the Tale has acquired curious traction throughout mainstream media titles evidently desirous to seize on a whole new Bitcoin ‘FUD’ narrative.
Despite Bitcoin’s extraordinary annualized returns since its inception in 2009, the fact would be that the forex continues to be in its infancy and not a soul appreciates whether it is going to genuinely come to be globally acknowledged or no matter whether it can sooner or later disappear. This uncertainty bordering Bitcoin’s long run is mirrored in its cost volatility.
The BIT and its sponsor or other advisors may well count on 3rd party provider suppliers or advisors, the id of which is probably not completely disclosed to traders.
Commodities' returns just about equivalent inflation over the calendar year, but that is prior to charges. Bitcoin proponents make the situation that bitcoin will indeed mature over inflation. Proponents of bitcoin declare that it's a “deflationary currency.
Within the early days of Bitcoin, any individual could look for a new block making use of their Laptop or computer's CPU. As A lot more folks started out mining, The issue of obtaining new blocks increased drastically to The purpose in which the only real Charge-efficient method of mining currently is making use of specialized components. You are able to visit BitcoinMining.com To link learn more.
Belgian publication HLN even described him as Bitcoin’s “creator” who experienced “bought everything” in the conspicuously inaccurate headline.
Physical wallets retail outlet the qualifications necessary to spend bitcoins offline. Examples Merge a novelty coin with these credentials printed on metallic.
Aaron Bush: It is completely speculative, and The full cryptocurrency market place over and above bitcoin is likewise very speculative.
Supporters of your freshly formed bitcoin dollars believe the currency will "breath new lifetime into" the practically ten-year-previous bitcoin by addressing a lot of the concerns going through bitcoin of late, like sluggish transaction speeds.
Considering that transactions might have multiple outputs, end users can send bitcoins to a number of recipients in a single transaction. As inside a dollars transaction, the sum go to this site of inputs (cash utilized to pay) can exceed the intended sum of payments. In this type of case, an additional output is employed, returning the alter back again into the payer. Any enter satoshis not accounted for in the transaction outputs turn out to be the transaction charge.
But even for individuals who You should not learn using their my site unique large-run computer systems, everyone can purchase and promote bitcoins for the bitcoin cost they want, typically via on the net exchanges like Coinbase or LocalBitcoins.
Company Insider 20h Ethereum can be the sole big cryptocurrency to finish the 7 days during the eco-friendly
In a banking conference hosted by Barclays which Dimon attended, very regarded venture capitalist and Golden Point out Warriors owner Chamath Palihapitiya supplied an identical criticism towards Dimon as Cuban, noting that the value of bitcoin relies upon available on the market Which The federal government has minimal energy in restricting and regulating bitcoin.


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In an effort to shed light on one of the world’s most horrifying evils, Indian NGO Sanlaap and creative agency Wunderman Thompson teamed up to create a new campaign revealing how the human trafficking supply chain operates – and how individuals can stop it.
About the campaign
Titled “Snap the Supply Chain,” Sanlaap’s new campaign uses detailed, hieroglyphic-style posters embedded with QR codes to illuminate the stories of victims of human trafficking. Many people are unaware of how complex the industry is, with victims often being conveyed along a chain of handlers, making it extremely difficult for them to be located and rescued. By sharing these posters, Sanlaap wants people to learn that they can make a difference – if they think they’ve seen someone that is being trafficked, they can report a tip so that Sanlaap can investigate – and help “snap the supply chain.”
The Stable explains the inspiration behind the design:
“Because traffickers view their victims’ lives as something to be played with, the campaign represents supply chains as a football formation in an intricate, elaborate art style. As the eye travels along the design, the victim’s story unravels and more details are revealed…
When the posters are scanned using an AR app, the technology brings the artwork to life on their phone screens, showing the supply chains and the victim’s journey in much more detail. Audiences then discover that they can intervene and help snap the supply chain. An interactive feature encourages audiences to tap to reveal a reversed version where the negative characters flip into good ones, and the victim’s story reverses from the hands of traffickers into the love and care of rehabilitation.”
Sanlaap and Wunderman Thompson are hopeful that the new campaign will help increase awareness and prevention of the terrible crimes being committed against the vulnerable. As Rahul Bhojraj, AVP & Senior Creative Director, Wunderman Thompson India, recently shared:
“Human Trafficking is one of the most heinous crimes against humanity, as we all know. But we discovered another interesting fact. The backbone of the entire industry is the intricate human trafficking supply chain.
We wanted to communicate that with the right intervention at the right point in this supply chain, victims of trafficking can be rehabilitated back to society, back to love and care.
[The] Snap the Chain series is a confluence of design, traditional format and technology that elevates visual storytelling by transforming into an interactive piece of communication, going beyond just awareness of the issue to also shedding light on the solution.”
For those of you who are curious to see the posters in action, check out Wunderman Thompson’s latest video about the campaign below.


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The government is also trying to have airbags for the rear passengers of the car.
Every year lakhs of road accidents take place in India, in which 1.5 lakh people die.
The people sitting behind do not have airbags for them. The cost of one airbag is ₹800.
New Delhi. Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari has once again pointed out how India tops the list of countries with the highest number of road accidents. He also stressed on the need for better infrastructure and safer vehicles on the country’s roads. Earlier, the Union Minister recently reiterated that the Central Government is seriously considering the proposal to increase the number of airbags in passenger vehicles.
Gadkari had earlier indicated how six airbags in cars could be made mandatory in all variants of any model of vehicle. Regardless of whether the vehicle is in the mass-market segment or in the premium or luxury segment. Earlier this week, Gadkari told the Lok Sabha that this rule can save maximum lives in case of an unfortunate incident.
Also Read – Tiago, WagonR or Celerio Which CNG Car Is Best, See Price Difference Between All Three?
About 1.5 lakh people die every year
The Union Minister said, “Our department is trying to have airbags for the rear passengers of the car so that their lives can be saved.” He told that about five lakh road accidents take place in India every year and in these 1.5 lakh people die. Till now cars come with two airbags. The people sitting behind do not have airbags for them. The cost of one airbag is ₹800.
Also read- India’s auto industry will not remain untouched by China-Taiwan war, what will be the effect of experts to understand?
Security has to be given priority
Earlier, Gadkari had quoted the World Road Statistics (WRS) 2018 data to say that India is at number three in the list of countries with the highest number of road accidents. India is planning to launch its own safety rating testing agency Bharat NCAP for vehicles by next year. It is believed that if the number of airbags in cars is increased, then this can lead to a significant increase in the price. However, the general consensus is that security should be a priority.
Tags: auto news, Autofocus, Automobile, Car Bike News
FIRST PUBLISHED : August 06, 2022, 14:07 IST


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Ports, Ikea to test electric tractor
Steinhafels helping redesign Pabst Theater's backstage with partnership
N.C. furniture firm faces delisting from Nasdaq
Five things you need to know today, and Boston's New York Streets
Traction Factory debuts Walker's Point office after extensive renovation: Slideshow
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Changing regulatory environments, new customer demands around the globe, challenges around product security, and increasingly complex products are driving healthcare executives to make strategic supply chain investments, according to findings from the sixth-annual UPS "Pain in the (Supply) Chain" healthcare survey, conducted by TNS.
New technology investments and go-to-market models are top of mind as healthcare executives drive business and logistics transformations to meet evolving industry needs.
Over the next five years, 84% of global healthcare executives surveyed will invest in new technologies, 78% will enter new global markets and 70% will implement new distribution channels such as going direct to providers, retailers and even end-patients. In addition, 59% will increase reliance on third-party logistics partners. Together, these strategies indicate a move toward transformation in the healthcare supply chain.
Technology investments, in particular, signal growing concerns over product protection, which includes the security of high-value shipments and product spoilage, with large jumps in the number of executives planning to invest over the next three to five years in systems that support e-pedigree/ serialization, temperature-sensitive, and product security solutions.
For the first time since the survey's inception in 2008, product security surpassed cost management as the second supply chain concern with 53% of executives citing it as a top issue. Executives face challenges in product security with the top concern being increasing counterfeit sophistication at 48%, followed by poor supply chain visibility, cited as an issue by 40%.
Despite investment plans, concerns over the global economy and healthcare business landscape continue. Globally, 50% are still feeling the impacts of the economic downturn, and 60% in the U.S. are reporting continued impacts. Executives in Asia express the most optimism on the economy with only 31% reporting they are still feeling the effects.
From a future global business challenge standpoint, increasing regulations are the top concern, as reported by 48% of respondents. Concerns over healthcare reform and legislation closely follow at 46%, and 40% of executives worldwide are also worried about intellectual property protection. Executives in Asia are more worried than their peers about increasing competition at 51% and patent expirations at 41%
"Healthcare companies are balancing a number of priorities related to capturing business growth opportunities in new markets, protecting increasingly sophisticated and high-value products and navigating a complex regulatory environment worldwide," says Bill Hook, Vice President, Global Strategy, UPS Healthcare Logistics. “These trends have also been shaping UPS's solutions to ensure we remain the logistics provider of choice for the healthcare industry. As the industry shifts to meet new customer and market demands, executives are investing in transformative supply chain strategies and strategic partnerships that will help them achieve long-term business goals."
Regulations and cost top concerns for executives in North America
The supply chain concerns keeping North American executives up at night relate to regulations and cost management. Sixty percent cite cost management as a top supply chain concern, a higher percentage than their peers around the world. Regulatory compliance is also a top concern for 66% of logistics executives in North America, and is the top barrier to global expansion for North American healthcare executives.
Despite the high level of concern, executives there are successfully addressing issues in a variety of ways, ranging from performing supply chain optimization analyses to investing in logistics partnerships.
Top global supply chain pain points
The number one supply chain concern globally continues to be regulatory compliance, cited by 63% as a challenge. Navigating country regulations are also the top barrier to global expansion, indicated by 47% of those surveyed. As noted above, product security is the number two supply chain concern, followed by cost management, with 53% and 51% of executives respectively citing these as issues.
Noteworthy regional differences also surfaced:
• Asia: Product protection is a significant concern with 76% of executives surveyed naming product security as their number one supply chain concern. Product damage and spoilage is also a larger issue in Asia versus other areas of the world, with 67% calling this a top supply chain concern.
• Western Europe: The economic downturn continues to be top of mind, with nearly half in the region reporting continued impacts for their companies (significantly higher than in 2012). Despite economic challenges, healthcare executives are still planning supply chain investments in technology and new distribution models, underscoring the global focus on preparing for further transformation in the healthcare industry.
"Globally, we are seeing consistency in the top supply chain pain points year over year, and we anticipate continued elevation in concern levels over regulatory compliance and product protection as supply chains grow in complexity and length," says Robin Hooker, Director, Global Strategy, UPS Healthcare Logistics. "The good news is that executives are seeing success in addressing these issues through increasingly sophisticated technology solutions, accessing regulatory expertise, and forming strategic partnerships with third-party logistics providers. We've also seen these trends and insights in practice throughout our business model worldwide."


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news Samsung has announced that the latest additions to its Galaxy range – the S7 and S7 edge mobile phones – will be generally available from March.
In Australia, Telstra has indicated it will offer both models on a range of plans, with pre-orders available from 12:01am 26 February and sales from 11 March. The firm is also offering a free Galaxy Gear VR headset on all pre-orders.
While Optus has yet to make any information available, Vodafone has said that people making pre-orders (starting 12:01am 26 February) will also receive a Gear VR headset.
As well as an updated design, the two smartphones offer several improvements over older Galaxy models, including a more advanced camera, water resistance and external memory.
“We believe in a world that is brighter, sharper, more convenient, and more fun. We strive to deliver on that vision with the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 edge by marrying elegant design with functionality and providing a seamless mobile experience,” said DJ Koh, Samsung’s President of Mobile Communications Business.
The 5.1-inch Galaxy S7 and 5.5-inch S7 edge are constructed from glass and metal, and sport a new “always-on” Quad HD display, meaning users will be less likely to miss calls or important notifications, Samsung said in a statement.
The phones also feature “the first Dual Pixel camera on a smartphone”, delivering 12MP, a “brighter” lens with wider aperture, a faster shutter speed and a more accurate autofocus even in low-light conditions.
A new camera mode, called Motion Panorama, brings movement to traditional panoramic photos, proving an “immersive visual experience”.
Both models also come with IP68 water and dust resistance, fast wired and wireless charging and a hybrid SIM-card tray allowing users to insert a microSD card for up to 200GB of additional storage. Standard memory comes in at 32GB. In select countries, the firm notes, the tray can be used with a dual SIM card.
Samsung has also made hardware and software improvements, designed to optimize gaming performance on the S7 and S7 edge.
A more powerful processor – 64-bit Octa-Core with integrated GPU – and better battery capacity will provide longer playing time, the firm said, and an internal cooling system reduces the likelihood of the device overheating.
The Vulkan API is claimed to lower battery consumption when playing high-performance graphic games, while Game Launcher, a new add-on, allows users to manage both battery consumption and the number of notifications.
For those who like the social side of gaming, users can also record their gaming experience or share their screen in order to play with other users.
Image credit: Samsung


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Consumer groups in the U.S. applauded a decision by the World Trade Organization (WTO) today to establish a dispute settlement panel to investigate a formal complaint by Canada that the U.S. Department of Commerce's decision imposing countervailing duties of 19.3 percent on softwood lumber imports is illegal.
American Consumers for Affordable Homes (ACAH) spokesperson, Susan Petniunas, said: "The Commerce Department has clearly ignored the significant negative impact of these duties, and related antidumping duties, on consumers, in favor of a handful of U.S. forestry companies. Our legal analysis shows that the actions are illegal, and we are confident that the neutral WTO panel will find the same."
The panel is composed of representatives of three neutral countries and would be expected to return a binding decision as early as six months from now. Canada is expected to also see a panel established to examine Commerce's imposition of 12.6 percent antidumping duties soon. Petniunas said that the action also is illegal, and that the WTO is expected to agree, overturning them.
"These duties amount to an unheard of federally imposed sales tax on American consumers of lumber during a time when our recession economy can not afford more bad news, particularly in the housing sector that must have Canadian softwood lumber," Petniunas added. ACAH is an alliance of 17 consumer associations and companies that oppose any new trade restraint on lumber imports from Canada. Commerce imposed the countervailing duties in August, and they have been applied through Dec. 3.
"Fortunately, the 19.3 percent countervail duties have expired until next May, and cannot be re-imposed until a final determination is made," she added. That reduces the negative impact to 12.3 percent antidumping duties.
Petniunas pointed out that the ultimate victims of the duties are first time homebuyers and seniors who need affordable housing. Economists have said that, based on U.S. Census Bureau calculations, the duties add more than a $1,000 to the cost of a new home and price nearly a half million families out of the housing market since that amount prohibits them from qualifying for a mortgage.
Twelve U.S. Senate and two House leaders recently sent a letter to President George W. Bush and Commerce Secretary Don Evans urging them to overturn the duties that are harming consumers, the housing industry and the overall economy.
In addition, more than 100 Members of Congress have expressed support for free trade in lumber between the U.S. and Canada by sponsoring H. Con. Res. 45 or S. Con. Res. 4.
The trade restraints are actions taken by the Commerce Department based on petitions from a handful of U.S. producers, led by International Paper, Sierra Pacific, Potlatch and Temple Inland, along with southern landholders, who petitioned Commerce to impose the duties when the U.S/Canada Softwood Lumber Agreement expired in April. That agreement put quota restrictions on the amount of lumber imported into the U.S. over a five-year period. ACAH represents approximately 95 percent of softwood lumber use in the U.S.
ACAH represents 95 percent of softwood lumber consumption in the U.S. Its members include American Homeowners Grassroots Alliance, Catamount Pellet Fuel Corporation, CHEP USA, Citizens for a Sound Economy, Consumers for World Trade, Free Trade Lumber Council, The Home Depot, International Mass Retail Association, International Sleep Products Association, Leggett & Platt Inc., Manufactured Housing Association for Regulatory Reform, Manufactured Housing Institute, National Association of Home Builders, National Black Chamber of Commerce, National Lumber and Building Material Dealers Association, National Retail Federation, and the United States Hispanic Contractors Association.
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SOURCE American Consumers for Affordable Homes


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Retailers Advantage patented STPLUS1 Tag was ‘highly commended’ in the ‘Best Newcomer’ category at the Retail Risk American Fraud Awards, which were held on the 17th May in Dallas, Texas, USA.
Evolution Retail are the European distributors for the STPLUS1 Tag and the ‘Best Newcomer’ category recognises the most exciting new vendor or solution to enter the retail risk and loss prevention arena, supplying any part of the risk and loss prevention industry in the last two years.
Glen Garner the inventor of the STPLUS 1 Tag observed, ‘it’s fantastic news that the STPLUS 1 Tag has been recognised by the industry in the ‘Best Newcomer’ category’’, Glen added, ‘I invented the tag to help retailers reduce theft and winning the silver award against tough competition is a real seal of approval from the industry. Thank you to all the judges for their faith in the STPLUS1 Tag’.
Philip McKelvey, Head of Sales at Evolution Retail added, ‘Glen is very passionate in producing real solutions that help retailers reduce theft and increase profits and we are very proud to be the European distributors for such an innovative and effective product’.


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Volvos have often been overlooked when it comes to performance for a number of years. After their R models were discontinued, not model really stood out because there wasnt a high demand for it and money dictated otherwise. Now that the Swedish car brand is under new ownership, the company has more money to play around with and have teamed up with Polestar, their motorsports racing team, to create the new Volvo V60 Polestar alongside of the new S60 Polestar model. The new performance wagon sports a number of unique and exciting features ranging from a new tuned engine to lightweight forged wheels, styling aspects, a new suspension, and more goodies to make driving even more exciting than the previous Volvo models.
The new Polestar Volvo V60 is a premium sports wagon with simplistic Swedish design and lots of create comforts. One of the first things that the Polestar team addressed was the 3.0-liter inline-six cylinder engine that is shared with the basic V60 model. Polestar wanted the engine to send more power to all four forged wheels so they installed a larger Borg Warner twin scroll turbocharger that feeds more boost into the engine. The team also installed a new, larger intercooler system that reduces charge air temperatures drastically while a new stainless steel 2.5 inch exhaust system helps to reduce backpressure for better throttle response and turbocharger spool time, and comes to an end in 3.5 inch tailpipes. In all a total of 350 horsepower at 5,700 RPM and 369 lb-ft. of torque at 2,800 to 4,750 RPM is produced.
All this power is sent to each of the four forged wheels thanks to an advanced all-wheel drive system from Haldex. The Polestar team created a new tune for the all-wheel drive system to alter the amount of power being sent to each wheel for better control and performance. The Volvo V60 Polestar is capable of accelerating to 62 mph in just 4.9 seconds and to 124 mph in just 17.7 seconds. Top speed is all the way back at 155 mph.
Polestar made their presence felt in other places on the Volvo V60. The team installed a new set of high performance Ohlins shock absorbers that are stiffer than the units they replace and help to sharpen up handling dramatically. A new set of 8.0 x 20 forged wheels now sit at the front and rear axles and hide a set of high performance Brembo brakes that help the Volvo V60 Polestar stop quicker than ever before.